Pets Know Best presents HuggiePup - Cuddly Puppy Behavioral Aid Toy, Great for Crate Training- Pulsing Heartbeat, Heating Pack- Chocolate Dog

My 11.5 year old dog's separation anxiety suddenly increased earlier this year. He started having anxiety-induced poop accidents inside (even when he was being potty trained years ago, he never pooped in the house unless he was legitimately sick!) from running around in a panic whenever I'd leave, and I started catching him barking loudly non-stop if he didn't realize I'd come home yet, which was never an issue before. It turns out he's going deaf, and in conjunction with his vision getting a little worse, I think he was now scared to be home alone. I bought him the more popular Snuggie Puppy but wasn't sure it helped much. He unfortunately peed on it early on while being boarded, so I bought the HuggiePup as a replacement because it was about $10 less. The HuggiePup is SO much better in my opinion and well worth the money! Pros: - Double layers of Velcro to hold the plastic heart beat device in securely. There's an internal vertical slit one and then a cloth flap with Velcro that closes over that. The cloth flap is a little thick, which adds extra cushioning around the device. The flaps take some work for a human to open, so only the fiercest chewer would be able to get at it! (The Snuggie Puppy only has a vertical Velcro slit and is much easier to open, which could be a bigger safety hazard for a determined chewer). - Comes with a reusable microwavable heating pad. I haven't used it personally, but I can see how it would be helpful. (The Snuggie Puppy has single use heating pads and you only get one free one in its box.) - Soft but not so small or lightweight that your dog can't snuggle up to it without pushing it around too easily (The Snuggie Puppy is comparable.) - Has held up to light chewing. My dog is not a chewer normally, but he mistook it for a normal plush toy a couple of times. I put it away between uses now. (The Snuggie Puppy is comparable.) - Also held up to a gentle wash and low to medium dry -- with the device removed, of course. (The Snuggie Puppy did too.) - The most important part for me: the heartbeat is very strong. My dog tends to nap on my bed when I'm gone, and I noticed the heartbeat is strong enough that I can feel it vibrating through the mattress. This is important since he's going deaf and needs to be able to feel the beat, not just hear it. (The Snuggie Puppy's heartbeat isn't quiet per se, but it's just not as loud or strong.) - I would say I've probably had the heartbeat on for a total of 18 or so hours so far, and the batteries haven't needed to be replaced yet, so it doesn't have an overly large energy need. (The Snuggy Puppy is comparable, although I find it harder to turn it off than the HuggiePup sometimes.) Cons: - The only con, which is also kind of a pro, is that the Velcro over the heartbeat device is VERY strong. So strong, in fact, that one of the horizontal flap's seam ripped on one side the first time I tried to open it up to add the batteries to the device. Fortunately, because of the double Velcro layering, it's still fully functional as is, so I decided to not to go through the hassle of exchanging it. Just be gentle and don't rush while opening it! I was really skeptical that something like this toy would make much of a difference to my dog, especially since he's far older than a puppy now, but it really does! I felt compelled to leave this review because I left for a post-surgery appointment and some errands today and came home to no accidents and a pretty calm dog that had just woken up from a nap with this toy. Compare that to my pre-surgery appointment 4 weeks ago, where I forgot to turn on the HuggiePup before I left and came home to a big accident and a hyper, anxious dog who was running around me in circles and crying a lot. Besides reducing my dog's anxiety, it has also helped my own! I started getting nervous to leave him alone and also dreaded coming home to yet another accident on my expensive rug. I'm glad he has a little calming buddy to keep him company now!

We bought this because our puppy came home with us at just five weeks old, which is much earlier than the typical eight-week adoption age. During her first few days with us, I noticed she would tremble occasionally. It wasn’t because she was cold, so I assumed she was simply missing her mom and littermates and adjusting to a brand-new environment. I really love that this toy has both a warming feature and a heartbeat. I usually turn it on for the full eight-hour setting and place it inside her crate. Our puppy has only been with us for about a week, yet she already walks into her crate willingly after eating and going potty. It has become her safe place. She absolutely loves the toy. She snuggles with it, plays with it, chews on it, and even climbs over it. My favorite part is watching her curl up beside it and peacefully fall asleep. The heartbeat seems to make the crate feel less empty and unfamiliar, almost like she has a quiet companion keeping her company. The toy itself is very well made. The material is thick and durable, with no small pieces that seem easy for a puppy to bite off or choke on. It also didn’t have any strange chemical smell when we opened it. While the warming feature is a nice bonus, I don’t always use it. Most of the time, I simply turn on the heartbeat, and that alone seems to provide her with plenty of comfort. Since using it, the trembling she had during her first few days has completely stopped, and she settles into her crate much more easily. Overall, I’m very happy with this purchase.

Update after bringing my puppy home: Now that my puppy has been home and actively using the HuggiePup, I can confidently say it has been incredibly helpful. He took to it immediately and seems genuinely comforted by the heartbeat, especially during crate training and nap times. It has clearly reduced the stress of being alone and made the crate feel more like a safe, familiar space. We have had a couple of crate accidents where urine got onto the HuggiePup. I was happy at how easy it was to remove the heartbeat device and heat pack and throw the plush itself into the washing machine. It cleaned up well and came out looking and feeling the same. Original Review: I bought this HuggiePup to have ready for when my new puppy comes home next month, but I wanted to test it first with my other dog who has separation anxiety. I figured if it could help calm him, it would be a great transition aid for the puppy when he is alone or crate training. The blue heartbeat device requires two AAA batteries and screwed shut. The batteries are not included. At first it was difficult to unscrew, but after pulling back on it while unscrewing I heard a click, and it works perfectly fine now. The screw does not fully come out, which is nice, so it does not get lost. You can press the heart button once for a four-hour cycle or hold it for three seconds for an eight-hour run time. The vibration feels soft, rhythmic, and the steady pulsing noise is very subtle. The red heat pack only takes about forty-five seconds in the microwave and fits into the pocket beside the heartbeat insert. The instructions emphasize short heating times, so you do not overheat it, and that the pack stays warm for a reasonable stretch before cooling down. It also mentions the heat pack is designed to be right next to the heartbeat device, which was a concern of mine. When putting the heartbeat device inside the HuggiePup, facing the button to the outside will make turning it on faster without having to take it apart every time. The plush itself feels soft and well-made. My anxious dog loved curling up with it on the couch. The heartbeat genuinely soothed him. The chewability of it is moderate. I do not think a puppy would be able to chew through it easily, but it is not meant for aggressive chewers. One of my favorite details is the double Velcro pocket. I was nervous my dog or puppy might get curious and try to dig it open, but the overlapping flaps sticks well and keeps the inside secure. The only thing I wish was different is the heat pack’s duration. It seemed to cool off fast, and a longer-lasting choice would make this perfect. The HuggiePup provides comfort to anxious pets and will be an excellent tool to help my puppy transition to our home.

This is a good sized toy for a little guy! Since it is summer I didn't use the heat pack, but my puppy figured out really quickly how to turn on the heartbeat sound (pressing the big button). He bites it just right whenever he is feeling anxious or trying to settle down. Usually this is at night and the sound is as loud as a metronome! It stays on for 4h unless turned off (press and hold button 4sec). Drives me crazy, but it soothes the little guy. I wait till he falls asleep and then sneak up and turn it off. Overall, this his his most treasured toy and it works for him.

Purchased for my 8wk old puppy to help make the transition to his new home. He snuggled up to it immediately and still does at 4 mos. The heartbeat can be set to run for 4 or 8 hours. This covers nap time as well as lasts all night. He’s been sleeping with it since day 1 and still finds comfort. Haven’t used the heater pack as it’s summer and puppy prefers it to be cool. Same batteries are still going strong after 2 months.

Cool toy. My dog loved hearing the heart beat but my dog also destroyed the dog and its interior pretty quickly as well. So, its a good idea but needs to be better built (stronger)

We raise Shih Tzu puppies and kept a male from this litter. Since we have a house full of girls I knew we needed him but also knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep w us like they do. Now I crate train all my dogs, the last one we trained woke us up every night for weeks if course. So I decided since this is going to be an ongoing thing for him to invest in a toy like this. Of course I started w the snuggle puppy, we all know that price tag! So I was looking at options and comparing them. I wound up buying this guy. As I was researching and comparing one thing I did was read reviews. The one about the older dog w sudden separation anxiety was the one that settled it for me because I knew I bought it early but we have one girl who has anxiety issues bad. So I bought it and said if it will help her, I’ll buy him a new one! Well, it did help her! We had it in our bed and at night we’d watch tv before sleep and she’d bark at anything on tv! It started at dogs, add horses, then us it on? That’s how much she barked at our tv! So when she’d start I’d go where’s her puppy? We’d turn on the heartbeat and she’d quiet!! Yesterday I had the last girl from the litter in the room w me all day because we needed a poo sample. But every time hubby would put our boy in his pen alone he’d bark and cry and all that jazz! So when his sister left yesterday evening I decided we’re gonna try his Huggie puppy. I am absolutely amazed, hubs put it in his bed inside his own and we never heard a whine or bark out if him all night long!! More than worth the money I paid for it!! It’s a life line lol.

Cuddly & warm item to help a puppy adapt to a new home. A little cumbersome to use but worth it. You just warm the hot pack in the microwave & insert it into the flapped area along with the heartbeat sound machine. You can set the heartbeat to beat for upto 8 hours. It is durable especially for a puppy who wants to chew on everything. We put our puppy to sleep with it every night & he sleeps well at just 8 weeks!

Calmo a mi perrita, le encanta

Not even a full week home and she already is sleeping through the night!

Bought this when I brought my puppy home from breeder for company after leaving her mother. Worked a treat, in fact she used the dogs nose to suck as a nipple. After a few months fascinated with velcro opening so removed battery heartbeat and warming bag from inside. She is now 10 months old and still loves it.

Looks lovely but could not get the screw out of the heart pack to insert batteries so utterly wasted money on this product. Using a Philips 2 screwdriver as instructed. Screw turns but will not come out even though loose. Cheap

We are first time dog owners and didn’t know how to make our puppy settle at night so we thought we would give this a try. Game changer for us! Our puppy calmed right down and would snuggle up to this. It has a battery pack that you can have a heart beat play for hours which our puppy found soothing. He only got it at night and never played with it or chewed on it. I would recommend this to all new puppy owners.